The simplicity of a stompbox. The control of an effects switching system.

Get the best of both worlds with the DigiTech RP500 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal. The RP500 features a Pedalboard mode that allows you to turn on and off individual stompboxes and effects by pushing buttons 1-5. You get the expressiveness of stompboxes and you can change them from preset to preset. Next take the Amp/Cabinet Bypass button that defeats the internal amplifiers and cabinets leaving you with only stompboxes and effects and you have a switching machine. Save each combo in a preset for a uniquely switchable pedal setup found only in pro switching systems.

The RP500 Multi Effects Pedal is built like a tank, from a cast metal chassis to the 9 vacuum-style switches. A large 10 character LED display makes for easy stage use topped by an built-in expression pedal to control wahs, volume, Whammy and other parameters.

Your sound is king so having control of your sound is imperative. The DigiTech RP500 pedal gives you the control to express yourself the way you want-no longer will the lack of control stand in the way of your expression.

As a private teacher with about 20 guitar students a week, modeling stuff is great for me, allowing me to dial up just about any tone I need, at very reasonable volumes. I...Read complete review

As a private teacher with about 20 guitar students a week, modeling stuff is great for me, allowing me to dial up just about any tone I need, at very reasonable volumes. I purchased my RP500 just over three years ago- at the time, my rig was a Line 6 Plextone III 1x12" combo that I'd had for a number of years. I was pleased with it, but was starting to get the 'itch' for something newer and better!

One day, I had a guitar student come in who'd just picked up an RP355; as he showed me it's features, I was immediately blown away and decided I had to have the "professional grade" version of it. The RP1000 had just come out at the time, but my plan was to run the Digitech as a 'floor preamp' straight into a dedicated power amp and cab; thus, I had no need for the "four cable method" and opted to save some money and get the RP500. I traded in my Flextone III, got a Crown XLS402 power amp and an old 2x10" Pignose cab and the rest is history.

As far as modeling units in the under-thousand category go, the RP500/1000 have the most organic feel by a long shot. Most of the amp models "breathe" nicely and respond well to your dynamics and playing. The EQ is not overly bright and the distortions aren't 'digitally' and buzzy. The thing almost creates an "ideal tube amp sound". The reason I put emphasis on that is because it doesn't FEEL like an actual tube amp- it doesn't compress naturally and move the air like a good tube amp...But it 'sounds' like a tube amp coming through a stereo, if that makes sense.

For the money, you get over 40 amp models (many more than anything like Line 6, Vox, Zoom, etc.) and many cab models, which I like to use essentially as an additional EQ stage. You get a 20-second looper, gobs of stompbox effects, from distortions to reverbs, to delays, to compressors, to wahs, to various modulation effects (flangers, choruses, phasers, tremolos, pitch shifting, harmonizing, Whammy, etc.) Furthermore, you can asign just about ANY function to the foot controller- from basic stuff like volume/wah, to the speed of a Leslie speaker, or the gain of your amp model, or the depth of your chorusing, etc. It's got stereo TRS outs as well as stereo XLR outs, which can ALL be used simultaneously!

I have used my RP500 live and in professional recording situations countless times over the past three years. It's extremely versatile and gives enormous value for the money.

Bottom line: If you're a 'modeling guy' like me and can't afford something like an AxeFX II, you should DEFINITELY go Digitech! I may get more gear in the future to swap out for interest, but I'll NEVER part with my RP500!

VS

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RP 500 review

I am a 36 yr old guy in southwestern Colorado who gigs out regularly in two local bands. Between the two I cover the gamut of rock, pop, reggae, psychedelic rock, country...Read complete review

I am a 36 yr old guy in southwestern Colorado who gigs out regularly in two local bands. Between the two I cover the gamut of rock, pop, reggae, psychedelic rock, country and a little jazz - no hardcore metal (although plenty of hard rock and loud distorted guitars of course). Both bands also perform originals and are involved with recording projects in their respective studios. I live for syrupy class A tube distortion and those 3-D tube cleans and this clunky hunk a junk sucks the life outa' both. Obviously processed tone and slow response to the point of cutting off your attack. have to compensate with the compressor to get your attack back and there goes your tone more. If your a solid stater this may work for you, I sounds ok in stereo through a decent solid state amp. Wha's are flat and lifeless - no sweet spot. Effects are ok not that great but in the mix sound decent. Adds a fair bit a noise to the signal chain. If you have a solid state buffer (solid state preamp might work), this unit will sound significantly better. I used to plug it into an old 80's era analog Ibanez multi effect rack unit so I could slave in into the patch channel and it sounded quite a bit better through the buffered circuitry. It is very easy to program and operate, it is pretty bullet proof as well. It survived drunk dancers spilt drinks and other abuse. I played out with it for about a year, using it in just a few songs and as a really big floor tuner. I used to call it my floor tuner sarcastically. There are better multi effects processors for the money. But if you want a simple all in one solution that sound a heck of a lot better than just a solid state amp & is tough and versatile this may do it for ya. If you want a good multi effect unit to add nuance and versatility to your already awesome tube amp sound - keep looking - nothing beats analog but other digital units get a lot closer. Whenever considering anything digital always look for the best & highest resolution AD & DA converters you can find, I currently use a Zoom 9.2tt for my floor multi unit. You can still hear digital artifacts in certain instances, but for the most part it sound pretty darn real and it does not suck tone like the digitech did. My RP 500 I gave to my Dad who uses it in his band in San Fran. He plays a small 15 watt solid state amp and the RP series are very simple to program and understand so it is perfect for him. And everyone lives happily ever after the end.

I'll try and make this as short as possible: I've researched for hours and hours and hours and hours on all of the multi-effects floor units in this price range. I used a Line 6 POD X3 Live for over a year as a comparison and reference point. My main use of this pedal is the XLR out into the board. I've used both units now for many hours and easily prefer this unit. So here goes:

Pros: - Lots of Headroom; it doesn't sound compressed like the POD did, especially the really heavy tones- Tons of amp AND cab models- Lots of effects, all of them usable... mostly- SUPER NICE BUILD QUALITY. Can't stress this enough. Multiple things on the POD were falling apart and half of it was plastic; the RP500 is solid metal and built in the USA. - Super nice vacuum switches- Really nice expression pedal. I know people say they accidentally turn the wah on a lot accidentally, I only experience this when I'm acting stupid or my friends use it; I've never had it happen live except for maybe once, which says a lot because I rely on the volume pedal heavily for swells- The post-EQ effect is VERY powerful; it didn't really do a lot on the POD- works great as a direct box for my acoustic and for subtle reverbs and delays- reverbs (for you ambient guys) are AWESOME- this amp crushes any Line 6 product in the arena of metal tones (yes, it can djent. the RG100 sim is surprisingly the best one for this application)- not plagued with the typical digital harshness this kind of product is known for- the looks I get from fellow worship guitarists who spent thousands for their rigs but don't sound as good as my RP500 because they can't turn their tube amp past two while I can simulate a Twin Reverb going through a 4x12 being pushed into power amp distortion

And now some Cons:- No control over mic type or placement like the POD- Room sound simulation takes up the reverb; the POD had an ambiance control that was separate from the reverb- Very few effects that are stereo; on a unit like this that is primed for stereo, there should be more effort into including stereo sounds- No bass sims- Can only run one amp at a time; POD could run two simultaneously- Hard to use; the menu, which is a sticker, can only be read by ants- tuner is not very precise- will randomly delete the last preset I was using every so often- no modulated reverbs (this can be somewhat worked around by using one of the unit's splendid chorus effects in conjunction with the reverb)- low gain (not clean) tones have a grittiness that is hard to get rid of (post-EQ helps); the Mustang Floor sounds like it excels in the low gain area of tones

Worth it? Yes. BUT. If you are going for direct-to-XLR Swiss Army knife and are using mainly low gain tones (like worship) I might suggest the Mustang Floor instead. But nothing, not even the Line 6 HD500X, can touch this unit in the high gain realm. I would get the RP1000 if you EVER think you might possibly use this with an amp; the ability to use the 4-cable method is vital.

This pedal board got me started and helped me explore many effects I had never heard before, and includes some pretty strange but fun effects, too. If you do get this, and want to switch rapidly among the effects, I would recommend using this pedal for whammy, compression, distortion, and delay,or other wild card effects while using other pedals along with it to add versatility.

I play weekly at church and occaisionally at music events. Our facility is small, and in order to control the sound better, we moved to running guitars with pedals, direct into the house system. A couple years ago our lead guitarist went off to college, and it became apparent that I needed to step up on lead guitar. I bought the RP500 primarily for the flexibility of the stomp buttons, and the pedal. It has met all expectations of versatility, ease of use, and quality of sound. I run both acoustic and electric through it, and have come up with some pretty interesting combo affects. The pedal is just what I was looking for.

As a private teacher with about 20 guitar students a week, modeling stuff is great for me, allowing me to dial up just about any tone I need, at very reasonable volumes. I purchased my RP500 just over three years ago- at the time, my rig was a Line 6 Plextone III 1x12" combo that I'd had for a number of years. I was pleased with it, but was starting to get the 'itch' for something newer and better!

One day, I had a guitar student come in who'd just picked up an RP355; as he showed me it's features, I was immediately blown away and decided I had to have the "professional grade" version of it. The RP1000 had just come out at the time, but my plan was to run the Digitech as a 'floor preamp' straight into a dedicated power amp and cab; thus, I had no need for the "four cable method" and opted to save some money and get the RP500. I traded in my Flextone III, got a Crown XLS402 power amp and an old 2x10" Pignose cab and the rest is history.

As far as modeling units in the under-thousand category go, the RP500/1000 have the most organic feel by a long shot. Most of the amp models "breathe" nicely and respond well to your dynamics and playing. The EQ is not overly bright and the distortions aren't 'digitally' and buzzy. The thing almost creates an "ideal tube amp sound". The reason I put emphasis on that is because it doesn't FEEL like an actual tube amp- it doesn't compress naturally and move the air like a good tube amp...But it 'sounds' like a tube amp coming through a stereo, if that makes sense.

For the money, you get over 40 amp models (many more than anything like Line 6, Vox, Zoom, etc.) and many cab models, which I like to use essentially as an additional EQ stage. You get a 20-second looper, gobs of stompbox effects, from distortions to reverbs, to delays, to compressors, to wahs, to various modulation effects (flangers, choruses, phasers, tremolos, pitch shifting, harmonizing, Whammy, etc.) Furthermore, you can asign just about ANY function to the foot controller- from basic stuff like volume/wah, to the speed of a Leslie speaker, or the gain of your amp model, or the depth of your chorusing, etc. It's got stereo TRS outs as well as stereo XLR outs, which can ALL be used simultaneously!

I have used my RP500 live and in professional recording situations countless times over the past three years. It's extremely versatile and gives enormous value for the money.

Bottom line: If you're a 'modeling guy' like me and can't afford something like an AxeFX II, you should DEFINITELY go Digitech! I may get more gear in the future to swap out for interest, but I'll NEVER part with my RP500!

Sell your amps-this is all you need. You should hear the guitar tracks I recorded with this beast-direct! Forget the overpriced guitar processors. This is all you'll ever need! Two enthusiastic thumbs up!

What a masterpiece. I mean really digitech out did themselves. this unit is so good it is comparable to the old RP-1s. great sounds, wide range of effects, iv had this unit for a year now and cant imagine life without it. BUY THIS UNIT!!!

My need for this thing was very simple and limited: I wanted to use the DigiTech Whammy and Harmonizer effects in my recording studio, and perhaps the looper for practicing. I had no illusions about the amp and analog effect models, but I figured that the proprietary DigiTech digital effects running off the same AudioDNA2 engine as the stand-alone effects would at least be OK.

Wrong.

The harmonizer effect has some bug in the RP500's firmware that many have complained about, but DigiTech says they are not bugfixing, presumably because this model is at the end of its marketing cycle and it's not worth it for them.

The X-Edit external editing program is not bad, but it is extremely hard to see because of the tiny fonts in the menus.

I actually have many of the original analog effects and amps in my studio, and they sound NOTHING like the DigiTech models of them in the RP500. What the models are actually from, I can't guess.

For setting up some fuzzy high-distortion live performance stuff, I imagine this has its uses and it's a solid, rugged unit that looks like it would survive stage use, but it's just not a product that has much place in pro-grade recording, especially if DigiTech doesn't fix its screw-ups.